1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an image-forming method and device for inputting characters, such as letters and symbols, and ruled lines to form an image, for use in electronic apparatuses, such as a stamp making apparatus, a tape printing apparatus or a word processor, and an electronic apparatus incorporating the device.
2. Prior Art
In a conventional word processor, when vertical ruled lines and horizontal ruled line are combined with each other to form a table or a frame (hereinafter referred to as "the ruled line frame") and characters are entered into the ruled line frame (from a left side toward a right side), if the number of input characters reaches the maximum number of characters which can be entered into the ruled line frame (hereinafter the maximum number of characters which can be entered in the ruled line frame is referred to as "maximum enterable character number"), further entry of characters is inhibited or automatic line feed is carried out to automatically expand the ruled line frame to a lower line. This is because the horizontal width of a printing paper is limited in a word processor or the like and hence if a ruled line frame is expanded easily or carelessly in a lateral (horizontal) direction, the ruled line frame can become wider than the printing paper.
Therefore, when characters are entered into a ruled line frame already formed and the entry is continued even after the number of input characters exceeds the maximum enterable character number, a function of "column insertion" is used to expand the ruled line frame in a horizontal direction and thereafter the entry is resumed. Inversely, if part of characters already entered into a ruled line frame are deleted therefrom, extra blank space can be generated, so that to delete the blank space, a function of "column deletion" is used to reduce the ruled line frame in a horizontal direction.
Further, in conventional electronic apparatuses, such as a stamp making apparatus and a tape printing apparatus, since the whole apparatus is required to be designed compact in size, a very small screen is employed as a display screen thereof. Accordingly, when the operator desires to create a table or a frame while viewing the small display screen, although the creation itself is possible, the whole table or frame can not be viewed within the screen and he (she) has difficulty in recognizing the same in its entirety, which makes the operation extremely troublesome. To eliminate this inconvenience, outer frames having various outer shapes for surrounding all the characters entered (see FIGS. 15A to 15C) or outer frames each having an inside thereof divided into a plurality of horizontal sections by horizontal division ruled lines (see FIGS. 16A to 16C) are provided in advance for electronic apparatuses of the above-mentioned kind.
As described above, in the conventional word processor or the like, when characters exceeding in number the maximum enterable character number are to be entered in a ruled Line frame, it is required to expect the number of excess characters and expand a ruled line frame by using the function of "column insertion", while when characters already entered in a ruled line frame are deleted, the function of "column deletion" has to be employed to reduce the ruled line frame, which makes a character entry operation and a ruled line-forming operation complicated, resulting in degraded operating efficiency. The same inconvenience occurs when a ruled line (hereinafter referred to as "the division ruled line") for dividing a row characters at a position in the direction along the row arranged within a ruled line frame, and characters are additionally entered in areas on either or both side(s) of the division ruled line, or alternatively existing characters are deleted from the same.
It is contemplated that the inconvenience concerning a division ruled line arranged in a ruled line frame can be eliminated by allowing the division ruled line to automatically move in the direction of a row of characters in accordance with the entry (addition) or deletion of the characters (see FIGS. 38A, 38B). In this case, however, if the ruled line frame contains a plurality of lines and at the same time the division ruled lines divide or extend across at least two of them, it is difficult to arrange the division ruled lines in an aligned manner. More specifically, when alphanumeric characters different in width from each other (for instance, "I" and "W") are entered in a ruled line frame including movable division ruled lines for proportional printing, the division ruled lines are displaced from each other, which results in degraded appearance of a produced image (print image) (see FIGS. 39A, 39B).
Further, even if all the alphanumeric characters entered are identical in width, when the number of characters entered on either side of a division ruled line is different between lines, it can be required to insert space on the same side of the division ruled line to align the division ruled lines, which makes the character entry operation troublesome (see FIG. 39C).
Further, when a ruled line frame is a fixed-size type which can not be expanded in any of upward, downward, leftward and rightward directions under a restriction imposed by a printing object, such as a label, and at the same time has an inside thereof divided beforehand into a plurality of areas by vertical or horizontal ruled lines (hereinafter such vertical and horizontal ruled lines within a ruled line frame are referred to as "in-frame ruled lines"), assuming, for instance, that characters exceeding in number the maximum enterable character number are desired to be entered in the divisional areas, or that characters already entered therein are desired to be deleted therefrom, the conventional word processor requires the operator to once delete the in-frame ruled lines and then draw the same again after entry of the characters. Further, if characters within a ruled line frame are uniformly laid out, once the above entry or deletion of characters is effected, the uniform layout of the characters within the ruled line frame is required to be set again.
The conventional electronic apparatus having a very small display screen is capable of forming a table or a frame with ease. However, the operator finds it difficult to grasp the number of characters which can be entered in each area in the table or the frame, or a suitable proportion in size between areas. Further, the freedom of creating a table or a frame is limited. On the other hand, if it is possible to make use of an underlining function of drawing a ruled line (underline) in response to character entry, as is already realized by word processors, a frame or the like can be created with ease and efficiency, in a manner free from i.e. without using an outer frame provided in advance. In this case, however, even if an underlines is added to form a continuous line, a gap is produced between the underline and a ruled line (vertical ruled line) that should cross the underline at right angles, which makes the appearance of a table or a frame extremely unattractive. For instance, images shown in FIGS. 41A and 41B are formed when images shown in FIGS. 40A and 40B are desired to be formed.